164 OXYBELUS NIGRIPES. 



and the intermediate and posterior tibiae at their base, yellow. 

 Abdomen : an oblong yellow macula on each side of the three 

 basal segments, and a transverse continuous band on the fourth 

 and fifth ; sometimes the spots on the third segment united. 



Male. Length 3 lines. Resembles the female closely, but 

 with much less of the silvery pubescence on the body; the 

 face densely covered with silvery pubescence ; the mesothorax 

 with a central longitudinal carina, which also crosses the scu- 

 tellum and post-scutellum ; the metathoracic spine grooved 

 above, curved slightly downwards, and acute at the apex ; the 

 squama at the apex of the scutellum yellow at the sides ; the 

 legs yellow, with the coxae, trochanters, base of the anterior and 

 intermediate femora, and the posterior pair exteriorly, except 

 their extreme apex, nigro-piceous ; the apex of the tibiae and 

 the tarsi pale ferruginous. Abdomen : a lateral yellow spot on 

 all the segments, each decreasing in size to the apical one. 



This is a very local species, but has been taken in some abun- 

 dance near Bristol and Liverpool. I have taken it sparingly at 

 Deal, on the sand-hills. Shuckard's A. ferox is the male; 

 the female is certainly the 0. mucronatus, as certified by Pro- 

 fessor Behn, on comparison with the typical specimen in the 

 museum at Kiel, and communicated to M. Dahlbom. 



3. Oxybelus nigripes. 



O. niger, squamisque etiam nigris ; mucrone obtuso incurvo ; ab- 

 dominis segmento primo et secundo punctis duobus flavis. 



Oxybelus trispinosus, Fabr. Syst. Piez. 318. 7 ? 

 Oxybelus nigripes, Oliv. Encycl. Meth. viii. 596. 12 ? . 



Shuck. Foss. Hym. 109. 3. 



St. Far g. Hym. m. 217. 7. 



Female. Length 3^ lines. Black, closely punctured ; the face 

 densely covered with silvery pubescence ; the apical joints of 

 the antennae fulvous ; the mandibles rufo-testaceous, with their 

 apex black. Thorax : the scutellum with a central longitudinal 

 carina; the post-scutellum has on each side a pale squama; 

 the metathoracic spine curved, canaliculated, with the apex 

 emarginate; the wings hyaline and iridescent; the nervures 

 fuscous, becoming rufo-testaceous at the base of the wings ; 

 the tegulae rufo-testaceous; the legs black, with the tips of the 

 anterior femora, their tibiae and tarsi, rufo-ferruginous ; the 

 intermediate and posterior tarsi of the same colour ; all the 

 tibiae yellowish at their base ; the anterior tarsi ciliated, and the 



